Time is dancing
by eau de toilette
Summary: Collection of rivetra writings during different times and alternate universes. Because rivetra will never be enough.
1. Ice rink

_A/N: Some of my small rivetra writings that I post on tumblr will be uploaded on here. This ship still needs lots of love. This was for dear Petra´s birthday. Based on my head canon in which both Levi and Petra are ballet dancers, but since Levi is much older, he's soon to retire so…_

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><p>The ice-skating rink was gathered with all kinds of people of different ages and winter clothing. Snow hasn't arrived yet to the city, but the feeling of coldness and foggy air were tangible to everyone.<p>

Petra, alongside Oluo and Eld, were skating freely across the ice. Since it was her birthday and she got the day free at the dance company, the young woman mentally prepared herself to spend the day at home watching some unpopular movies -her dad was away- but unsurprisingly, the guys brought her a small chocolate cake and a pretty light blue scarf, and insisted to take her skating. She couldn't resist after all.

Besides ballet, skating was one of her favorite sports, perhaps of the similarities between dancing and skating in a graceful way. There was also something exhilarating at maneuvering pirouettes on the cold ground and the feel of the clicking skates in the moment of regaining speed.

"Look, Gunther and Eren are coming."

"Hey there Petr-" Exclaimed the blue eyed boy jovially, suddenly falling to the ground in seconds.

"Be more careful next time brat." said Oluo in his typical fashion manner.

"Here Eren, let me help you" Petra held him firmly, watching the brunette regaining his composure. "You aren't good at skating, are you?"

"Mikasa is better. You don't have to worry."

"In that case, let's skate together. You're quick at learning things, so it might help you a little"

"Thank you Miss Petra for being so nice." Eren smiled brightly. She was a sweetheart. No wonder why everybody was fond of her.

It was going well for some moments, until someone exclaimed: "Look who's here"

Petra certainly did not want to look.

"It's Mister Levi! Hanji and Erwin are there too. Let's go and say…"

"Eh, I don't think that's a good idea." interrupted the young woman nervously.

"Why not?" asked Eren, uncertainness on his face for some seconds. "Oh, I see."

"It's okay Eren." Petra forced a smile. "Do you think you can make it on your own now?"

"I'm bloody sure I can" Even though his speed wasn't the best, at least it wasn't as clumsy as the first time. This thought comforted her a little.

A pair of impassive eyes were looking at her the whole time but she refused by all means to take a glance back.

It was in the moment when she was following Gunther's skating speed, and while trying to keep his pace, her balance failed which made her fall to the cold ground.

A pair of hands appeared from nowhere, guiding her to regain her composure. One of her knees was hurting.

"My knee hurts."

The man´s hands remained on her arms.

"I can make it on my own." said Petra frustrated, trying miserably to put his hands off on her.

"Fuck no, you can't." replied Levi "Your face says it all" He took her firmly and lead her to a solitary bench.

They sat together for a long time, awkward silence filling the wintery atmosphere. Petra took a look across the ice rink. At least the boys were having fun. Quite disappointed, she started taking off her skates in a methodic way.

"Is your knee still hurting?"

"A little."

"Good."

Again, that silence.

"You haven't answered my texts." said Levi in his usual voice.

"And why should I?" replied the petite woman. Her feet were feeling colder without the skates. It was a strange but pleasant feeling.

"You seemed to be having fun with that _brat_."

"You're a jerk. Do you know that?"

"Petra, look at me."

At the lack of an answer, Levi held her chin roughly, making her too look directly at him.

"Let me explain…"

"No."

"Shit woman, you're so fucking difficult to please. I'm not a toy."

"I just wanted to spend my birthday with _you_." Petra said in a low whisper. Suddenly playing with the hem of her jumper became more interesting.

"I know." Replied Levi slowly. "But you know it hasn't been easy for me this year."

Now he was waiting for a proper answer.

"It's okay Levi, I understand." And she did. But due to his nature, it has always been hard to approach someone like him. They both knew it since the start.

"I brought you something." the dark haired man gave her a tiny box coming from one of his pockets.

A small red bow.

"I know its shit but I've seen you having the struggle to keep you hair in order during rehearsals, since it's bloody short and I thought this one might look good on you." The difficulty of finding the proper words made her melt inside somehow. He wasn't a man of a lot of words after all.

"I still love you, you know." Said Petra moments later, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"I love you too, Petra." Levi replied softly, wrapping his arms around her in a possessive but gentle manner. "Happy birthday" He whispered, and he kissed her chastely on her lips for a long time. There was neither malice nor lust in his display of affection, he just needed to feel her closer to him and that was more than enough.

When Levi looked at the young woman again, she was glowing.

"Also, I got you some flowers. They're in the car. _Hanji's idea_." He clarified quickly.

"Um, Levi?"

"Hm?"

"Let's go home." Petra answered, a light blush spreading across her face. She took him by the hand, fingers wrapping firmly around each other.

That night, on the 6th of December, it started to snow.


	2. Moments

_Because we all need married! rivetra sometimes._

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><p>He found her sleeping on the couch, a small red book wrapped around her right arm. He has been gone for some minutes but, by looking at her delicate frame and the bags under her eyes, he understood that her wife was exhausted.<p>

"Petra, let's go to the bedroom." The dark haired man moved her softly, trying to wake her up.

"Hm." She mumbled between slow breaths, nodding sleepily and uninterested.

The young woman didn't move, so Levi carried her and lead her to the bedroom. He settled Petra's sleeping form on the bed, white sheets and pillows around her, and disappeared to the bathroom for brushing his teeth.

When he came back, Petra was already awake. Even though the room was already dark -except of the dim clarity coming from the window- and a little cold, he could see her bright eyes looking at him through the darkness, waiting for something.

In the moment his back touched the mattress, Petra's legs tangled against his, her tiny hands caressing his neck.

Levi looked at her longingly. Being married haven't been easy for them, and while he was a harsh, cold and a foul mouthed man, she was sunshine, honesty and devotion.

She was lovely in her own way, especially in moments like this, in which there was only quietness and the whispers of a wintery night.

"What is it Levi?" her wife asked him, pulling herself closer as much as possible.

A frown appeared across the man's strong features, as if he remembered something that happened a long time ago.

"I'm just glad to have you."

Petra smile widened and poked his husband jokingly.

"Oh stop it Levi! I told you to forget those things, they are not real." She gave him a quick peck on his lips. "See. Just let it go."

Just let it go…Levi tried to forget everything in that moment, but the thoughts haunted him and it seemed that Petra sensed his worry, because her kisses became loving but aggressive, her hands tangled around his dark hair, and then she made a little sound while whispering across his ear "I'm here and I will always love you" so he drowned in her…in her flowery essence, in her inviting body and his worry vanished, and everything was fine.


	3. Twelve kinds of christmas

**Twelve kinds of christmas**

_A/N: I wanted to write it sooner, but translating this from my native language is not that easy sometimes. Sorry if I got some grammar wrong, I'll correct them tomorrow. Anyways, hope you like it._

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><p><strong>1.<strong>  
>A man with a really short height for his age, was walking with calculated speed through the streets of Manhattan.<br>It was the twenty-fifth of December, but that didn't mean he had to stay at home. Work is work after all.  
>He walked in direction to his right, while thinking about the huge pile of papers to check at the office. His thoughts changed when he heard a well-known Christmas carol, coming from a small group of young people that were singing at the outside of a library.<br>It was in the moment in which the man crossed paths with the group, when a young girl with short _copper-ish_ hair and big eyes shouted at him jovially:  
>"Merry Christmas sir!"<br>The smile of that girl remained on his mind for the next days.

**2.**  
>The artic weather was worse than he imagined. He hoped with all his soul to never come back to this bloody freezing place.<br>That idiot of shitty glasses, of course this was on purpose.  
>Even though the igloo was enough for keeping a whole team of football, it was still cold no matter what.<br>The dark haired man kept himself busy analyzing the results of the annual research, when his partner of the project appeared with a box of cookies in her hands.  
>"Merry Christmas Levi!" Said the young woman, with the usual smile that he became used a long time ago. She looked even more adorable with her cheeks tinged with a lovely shade of pink, because of the freezing and cruel weather.<br>"Petra, I'm jewish."  
>"I already know that but c'mon, some cookies might be good for you."<p>

**3.**  
>When she was five years old, in the night of Christmas eve, Petra decided to go downstairs and check if Santa already left her gifts and if he ate the butter cookies she left him in the little table next to the pine tree.<br>Big was her surprise, finding her father tied from hands to feet, and could clearly see a pair or robbers sneaking through the hall.  
>One of them looked at her, probably a young man on his early twenties, with short height and cold eyes. The man came closer to the girl, doing a sign so she wouldn't scream and offered a gift -from the ones he stole.<br>Petra never understood the reason of his behavior in that circunstance and she still wonders years later.

**4.**  
>He always knew that Hange's parties were a huge problem.<br>It was in the moment of the secret friend exchange, and even though he was the most rude man ever and probably a sucker for giving presents, shitty glasses told him that the chosen one for him was a girl, who loved wearing earrings, so he went to a store and bought a fine pair of pearls and there he was, handling the small package on his hands.  
>"Levi, your secret friend is Petra!"<br>Shit.  
>His eyes wandered over the petite figure of Petra Ral, one of the new secretaries at the office and the soft smile she gave him didn't go unnoticed.<br>"Isn't this adorable?!" exclaimed Hange, a cup of wine in one of her hands, tricky ideas forming through her twisted mind. "Now go and give him a kiss Petra, tomorrow's shorty's birthday."  
>"Shut the fuck up Hange, you're drunk." Exclaimed Levi annoyed.<br>It was until later, when he was sitting on a couch, the young woman sat next to him.  
>"So, your birthday is on Christmas?"<br>"That was unnecesary information."  
>"At least is an unforgettable date."<br>"Tch."  
>"Levi." He looked at her, he had to admit it, she was indeed pretty. All of this was shitty glasses fault. "Do you mind to go out one day together, you know, because of your birthday?" Petra waited for an answer, a little hint of shyness in her hands.<br>"Sure, why not?" Replied Levi after some time of thinking, and his answer was well recieved with a dazzling smile from her.

**5.**  
>"Mr. Ackerman, the coffee shop is going to be closed soon."<br>It wasn't strange that the lawyer came with frecuency to the shop, even though he wasn't fond of coffee and prefered ordering black tea. Sometimes they had long but awkward talks, since Petra was one of those girls who enjoyed talking a lot and Levi…well, he was different.  
>Gunther and the guys already left the shop, so she went to close the door from of the kitchen.<br>When she came back to take the count of her only client, she focused in taking the empty porcelain cup, and suddenly, a male hand stopped her.  
>"Petra."<br>"Is something wrong? Was the tea terrible?" The amber eyed girl asked worried.  
>"You don't have to be that formal with me. Tomorrow is my birthday."<br>_Why was he still holding her hand?_  
>"Oh, in that case, you should've told me sooner so I would've got you a gift."<br>"I want you to go to dinner with me."  
>"Huh?"<br>"Shit Petra. I've looked at you and noticed _the way_ you always treated me, and I wondered…you know. I've waited months for asking you so you better have an answer."  
>The young woman was wonderstruck. He knew Levi wasn't a man of romanticisms but by the way he was looking expectantly at her, somehow, she understood the sincerity on his words.<br>"Yes. I'll go out with you." And Petra sweared she was blushing in that moment.  
>"Alright then."<p>

**6.**  
><em>"Why?"<em>  
>She couldn't believe it, all of her effort in the dinner she had prepared for him, on Christmas Eve for God's sake.<br>"Don't tell me why Petra. You already know it, all of this has been problems and more problems. And you know what? I'm fucking tired." The man was already on the principal door, five years of dating slipping through her fingers and dissapearing like the foggy winter that never existed.  
>"Levi, I love you." Insisted the young woman with tears on her eyes, her voice breaking through the room.<br>"But I _don't_."

**7.**  
>The young nurse was finishing her last round after the whole day of work.<br>She was relieved, but somehow, felt a little pressured because the dinner wasn't done at home and papa was going to visit her.  
>"Mr. Ackerman, do you need something?" In the last month, she became used to check the patient, that was dealing with a terrible illness.<br>The dark haired man looked at her for a long time.  
>"Are you leaving Mrs. Ral?"<br>"Yes, my work is done for today." Petra smiled, however, she couldn't avoid the paleness on his skin and the hollowness of his eyes.  
>"Tomorrow is my birthday." Said Levi nonchalant, like if they were friends from a long time ago.<br>"Really? In that case, I promise you to bring you a gift tomorrow."  
>"Yes, tomorrow." Whispered the man so softly that Petra could hear him from the distance and her heart constricted at the terrible truth.<br>_Why does this feels like a goodbye?_  
>"Merry Christmas Mr. Ackerman."<br>"Same goes for you, Mrs. Ral."

**8.**  
>"What the fuck is going on?" The thug asked angrily at seeing the static figure of his partner.<br>"Eh Levi, I think we killed the wrong one."  
>He came closer to take a look at the woman that was already dead in the ground, full of dreams and hopes that were destroyed in seconds.<br>By the face covered with fresh blood, it gave him the impression that she was really young.  
>"You imbecile." He remained his composture for not punching Farlan, that was looking at him with worry.<br>"Let's get the fuck out of here."  
>However, he felt his stomach twist while remembering that young woman, whose name never knew.<p>

**9.**  
>His mouth was travelling across every inch of her skin, marvelling at the lovely shape of his wife's body. She was so beautiful and so <em>her<em>, that he couldn't stand any longer, so he kissed her with such a passion and force, that left them both breathless.  
>Much later, when they were enjoying the quietness of the night, Petra whispered.<br>"Levi, we forgot to take dinner."  
>"Tch, forget dinner. " said the man, his face hidden in the crock of her neck.<br>"I love you so much Levi. " her delicate hands wandered on his fave, memorizing everything that was him, the man she choosed.  
>"I love you even more Petra. Merry Christmas."<p>

**10.**  
>When he gave the package wrapped with metallic paper, the woman payed him. She was really short -probably of the same height as him- and she had fine features and a small nose. Even though the scarf she was wearing was too childish for her.<br>"Is there a problem?" He asked with a bored expression, crossing his arms.  
>"No, eh…" She looked at his name "it's nothing Levi, but I have this strange feeling that I know you from somewhere."<br>Her eyes were suprisingly big and expressive.  
>And familiar.<br>_"I think I've seen you before too."_

**11.**  
>He can still remember clearly the Christmas Eve from last year.<br>The squad were playing cards -Oluo was the one losing- a small fruit cake was on the table and a bottle of wine given by Hange, which had one of the sweetest tastes he ever drank.  
>"Captain?" Petra was looking at him curious. "Aren't you going to open your gift?"<br>Levi drank from his cup of wine, gazing at the package wrapped in cheap paper.  
>"I suppose so." And Levi felt that he had a real family that night.<br>This year was different. There was a lot of noise coming from the brats, the cake didn't have a good taste and the wine was horrid.  
>In the end, mostly of them fell asleep on the floor, except of Jean and Armin, who were playing cards in the table.<br>He excused himself as soon as possible, and when he was closing his eyes in the darkness of his room, he remembered his lost squad and the nostalgia hit him.  
>That night, he dreamt of all of them, especially of <em>her<em>.  
>With Isabel and Farlan <em>too<em>.

**12.**  
>His small daughter, Lily, woke him up early in the morning, and some minutes later, he carried her and took her to the living room.<br>"What's all this noise?" Asked Petra with a hint of curiosity some time later, while her husband gazed with abnegation at the small girl who was opening the presents and making joyful noises at discovering more wrapped gifts in the pine tree.  
>He made a gesture to her, so the copper haired woman put her arms around his neck, whispering <em>"Merry Christmas dear one"<em> and he realized that this was all he wanted in his life.  
>Levi Ackerman was a really lucky man.<p> 


	4. Reminder

He sometimes wonder what could've happened if they kept the bodies on the cart that fateful day of the failure of the 57th expedition.

What would their families do? Kneel down and cry over their broken bodies, the ones whom gave up everything for saving humanity and Eren's life until the very end, or laugh at the irony of it. One of the best elite squads of the Survey Corps, all of them gone in fleeting seconds.

Life is so strange and full of mysteries, but every time Levi thinks of them before sleeping, he can't help but feel _regret_.

He shouldn't have left her lifeless body outside the walls; he should've kept her patch on his pocket. Hell, he can still _feel it_ on his hands, taking a last look of what were his reminders of sunshine and hope before giving it to that soldier. He would've kept her body and gave her a proper burial with the most beautiful flowers of the season, but everything was so fast and twisted and _heartbreaking_, that decisions were obligated to make.

He can still see the clear image of Mr. Ral approaching him, all smiles and awkward words, slipping _things_ about her daughter that he wishes to never remember.

But Levi sees her, before closing his eyes, and Petra looks sad and he wants so much to reach her, to comfort her and to tell her the things he _never dared_ to say...but he can't touch a ghost.


	5. The ideal one

_A/N: I had a strange day yesterday so; I wrote this for keeping myself busy. This one has Isabel & Farlan on it because they're important too. (At least for me)_

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><p>.<p>

Some days before being captured by Erwin Smith and the other members from the Survey Corps, Isabel came up with a thought after dinner.

"But what about if we get outside from here one day? What should we do after?"

"You should be sleeping Isabel." said Farlan unamused by the disturbance of the quietness in the room. "And what made you think those kinds of things?"

The red haired young woman sighed, relaxing against the clean but red faded sofa.

"I was just bored so I searched for something to think about? What do you think big brother?"

"Hm?" Levi glanced at her with a questioning look -he wasn't paying attention to the conversation between his two comrades -as he took a few sips of his tea.

"About leaving the Underground someday."

"I haven't given much thought. What about you?"

Isabel stood up; taking a longing look at the cheap painting Farlan stole months ago. Somehow, looking at it gave her a hopeful feeling.

"Anything can happen, but we could die at trying it. But I'm sure there's something more worthy than this horrid place. Besides..." The young girl hit Farlan on his head with a pillow.

"Hey, calm down!" Exclaimed the blue eyed man in annoyance.

"You guys could get married someday!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Have you got nuts?!"

"Don't tell me you've never thought about it?" She sat next to the dark haired man. "Look at _nii-chan_, he's even considering it."

"As a matter of fact Isabel, we're thugs. Do you think a woman from the outside will take a glance at us?" Farlan always had a realistic point of view, but that didn't make her change her idea.

"They don't need to know about your past lives!" The girl with messy pigtails said delighted, then gave a funny laugh. "All you got to do is trying to get a new job, change these rags for new clothes and then you get a girl."

"Levi, tell her something."

"Let her be." said Levi with his usual quiet voice.

"So tell me Farlan, do you have an ideal woman?" Isabel put her hands on her cheeks, trying to imitate a feminine face. "And not the ones you _see_ sometimes."

"Alright, I'll tell you so you can shut up." Farlan waved disinterested. "She must have really long hair and has to be really good at cooking."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"What about you, _nii-chan_?"

Levi took a long sip from his teacup, and stated:

"I don't plan on getting married." After all, who would like to spend a life with someone foul-mouthed, rude and with a _disappointing _past life?

"And she must be shorter than him." Recalled Farlan with slight amusement.

Isabel told him to shut up, then, one of her tiny hands placed softly on Levi's shoulder.

"Big brother, I really hope you can find yours someday. I'd love to have a sister!"

"Go to sleep Isabel." Levi finally said, trying not to dwell into her strange ramblings, but somehow, when he took his next sip of tea, its taste was different.

.

It was until many years later, when he briefly remembered Isabel's words.

She was smaller than him, with short copper hair and handling him a cup of tea.

Petra Ral, one of the subordinates of his squad.

"Is everything okay, sir?"

He tried not to think about it, but there were times in which was highly impossible, since she was so loyal to him and wanted to live to his expectations. Levi swore it was nothing, but Hanji mocked him constantly, and this girl...was so unique and had this strange aura that soothed his soul every time she was near.

And her eyes, so bright and amber-ish, reminded him that she was alive and was looking at him at _this_ precise moment.

He swept away all those illogical thoughts. It was a waste of time after all.

"Yes, it is. Thank you Petra." He handled the warm cup of tea and took a sip.

_That strange taste again._

_Damn you Isabel._


	6. Storyteller

_A/N: This one is from Armin´s point of view, slight Rivetra._

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><p>He feels the days passing by, barely remembering his grandfather's features, tired eyes and a reflection of the things he's lived through, childish memories that had already faded like broken butterflies during winter.<p>

But there's something the blonde young boy never dares to forget.

Armin Arlert picks up fragments of others people lives from his point of view, fragile yet meaningful moments, adjusting them as a complex puzzle he's still learning to understand. He's a storyteller, just like his gone but never forgotten grandfather.

Armin wishes to be as good as him one day.

.

When they became part of Captain's Levi new squad, he thought it all went too fast for his own liking.

Things were usually strange at first, feeling exhausted by Eren's reprimands about how the captain orders to keep everything as clean as possible, or how they have to maintain a close track of the food provisions so Sasha can't eat them; or how much of a snoring boy Connie actually is during night and some other things.

It is until one day at breakfast, in which there's a heated argument between Jean and Eren, and it is in the moment the green-eyed exclaims, anger through his boyish features "You're a replacement, you'll never be like _them_!" so he tries to follow him, but Mikasa stops him.

"Let him leave. Changes have been hard for him."

He believes her, marveling slightly of how much her longtime friend has changed, and lets himself finish the rest of his breakfast, but he realizes someone _else_ has left too.

.

There's also something melancholic and disturbing the way Captain Levi stares at his cup of tea every day, how his brows knit together in a line, and the way his eyes darken -even more as usual- before taking long sips.

It seems like no one has noticed, but he _does_, so he catches the memory; like a little kid catching dandelion petals.

.

He asks Eren about the original Special Operations Squad, one sunny morning in the field, and his best friend's face brightens with joy,_ like sunlight_, talking how different they were but their loyalty to humanity kept them together and how in the end, they decided to trust in him.

When the blue-eyed boy asks of which one he was the closest during that time, Eren replies a single name before leaving.

_Petra._

Armin wonders for the rest of the day, what would've been living with Captain's Levi first team, at least for a day.

.

"So Petra was the one who made the tea?" He only saw her once, calling out to Eren during that time in which he was being held by the Survey Corps. She was short and he couldn't define the color of her hair but when their gazes locked briefly and saw her smile, Armin concluded she was one of the loveliest people he's _ever seen_.

"Oh, dear Petra! Hers were certainly perfect!" Hanji smiles softly, somehow talking to the scientist became a routine, and at least she was always eager to listen. "Must´ve been hard for her being with a bunch of men all day along."

"From what Eren told me, she seemed like a nice young woman."

Hanji relaxs against the wooden wall, arms hanging on the back of her nape.

"Eren appreciated her, and she did the same for him."

"Did Captain Levi find her tea good?" He asks some time later, a thought coming to his mind.

This time Hanji laughs, but it's a different sound, it sounds broken, a remnant of all those lost soldiers who payed the price with their lives, those who will never come back.

"Petra was Levi's _sunshine_."

"Were they together?" the young boy asks with curiosity, suddenly understanding the hidden meaning of _sunshine_.

"There are some things that are better to not being talked about. Anyways, you should go to sleep right now, it's really late."

Armin barely sleeps, the night is strangely cold but when he feels wide awake, a few hours later, he waits to see the early sunrise in the sky, and he wonders again.

.

When Eren and Historia get kidnapped a few days later, and everything feels like a failure, they all look worried. Even Mikasa, but she never shows it. But he knows her _oh so well_.

They're travelling through the woods with the help of the horses, and somehow, he finds himself next to the captain, and asks:

"Sir, do you think we'll find them?"

"Do _you_?"

"I think we'll bring them back."

The raven haired man takes a quick glance, focusing again on his front; and Armin notices a slight quiver on his features, as if wanting to say something.

"I know we'll never be like _them_ Sir."

And they'll never reach their level, they're just a replacement, as Eren said once, after all, things change and nothing stays the same way.

"I'll make sure their lives weren't in vain." Levi replies, but he isn't looking at him, his eyes are closed, and Armin will never forget the moment in which a ray of sunshine showed across the captain's face and everything went _bright_ for a second.

"And don't you dare to talk about it _again_ Arlert. Also, keep your pace strong."

.

That night, he overhears a conversation between the captain and Hanji, but he's too tired to think, so he falls asleep in the floor.

Armin really wishes to be a storyteller -like his grandfather- , but sometimes he simply fails.


	7. Laughter lines

They say people change from time to time, and the things they leave behind are only fragments of circumstances that defined them, all fading away through the seasons.

He has changed somehow -his past life is only a remembrance of what kind of awful man he was before he met her- but there are some glimpses of his unique nature that have remained, unchanged.

And then, there's their love.

He told her the first time she decided to make a move on him, they weren't meant to be together, that he was not an ideal man for her and horrible things he'd done on his past followed him like creeping shadows. Also, she was _so young_.

But oh, how much she _loved_ him.

And he learned to love her _too_.

They loved each other with an intangible devotion, in different ways but their trust and loyalty to each other was the key to battle their inner demons together.

It's been decades since they decided to take the same path, he's drinking slowly a cup of black tea one morning and she seems to be lost in thought.

"Something wrong, Petra?" He notices his voice is now raspy, his low tone echoing in the dining room. He barely forgets if it's a sunny morning, or a foggy one.

"Everything is fine dear." His wife answers, laughter lines drawing across her old but still bright face.

The old man stands up, coming closer to the woman he's ever loved, his steps are slower but still has a touch of the strength he's ever been characterized.

"Hell no, I know you so well." He holds her hands in a old fashioned way, staring right into her eyes, looking for traces of secrets she may be hiding.

Her hair still has some strands of copper, and he thinks she looks lovely.

_She does_.

"I'm afraid of leaving you." In another life, things ended in a twisted manner. They barely remember what exactly happened, a haunting reminder of what could've been. But he knows now is different.

"Listen Petra. If one of us leaves first, you must promise me you'll make it alive. No matter what may happen, we'll find each other again. I don't bloody know how or when, but I'm sure we will."

His words always have been brutally honest, but she loves him anyways, has loved him for _so long_ and a little tear falls from one of her eyes.

"Levi..."

They kiss instead. It's a sloppy one, their rusty lips matching each other like a puzzle, they've kissed uncountable times but this one is special. It's an affirmation of the unbreakable bond they've shared through the years, for her, Levi is the same awkward but lovable man, and for him, Petra is sunshine and all the things he never thought he could have.

This kiss is not even like the first one they shared, that rainy morning at his office when they both were trying to save humanity.

It's different.

_It tastes like forever._


End file.
